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Notting Hill Public Toilets Sold to Private Developers: A New Chapter in Austerity

  //science-technology.news-articles.net/content/2 .. ivate-developers-a-new-chapter-in-austerity.html
  Published in Science and Technology on Friday, November 14th 2025 at 12:32 GMT by London Evening Standard

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The Notting Hill “Public Toilet” Sale: A Commentary on Privatisation, Politics, and Public Space

In a recent column that has stirred the usual mix of amusement and outrage in the UK’s media, The Standard’s “Comment” section presents a biting take on the latest real‑estate gambit in Notting Hill: the sale of the area’s long‑standing free public toilets to a private developer. The piece, provocatively titled “Peter Mandelson: Urinate Notting Hill – George Osborne Public Toilets Sale,” weaves together a critique of austerity‑era privatisation, a history of political opportunism, and a pointed call to protect public amenities from being turned into pay‑to‑play revenue streams.

At the heart of the story is a recent announcement from the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham – the local authority that governs Notting Hill – that it will hand over its free public toilet network to a consortium of developers. According to a press release linked in the article, the sale will fetch a “sizable sum of around £2 million” (the exact figure is subject to a final lease agreement), and will come with a two‑year transitional period during which the toilets will remain free. After that, the developer will be allowed to charge a nominal fee (estimated at £1–£2 per use) for the first time in the area’s history.

Peter Mandelson, who in the column adopts a satirical tone, reminds readers that the “public toilet” was once a democratic symbol of inclusive public service – a place where anyone, regardless of income, could find relief. He contrasts this with the “fugitive” trend of the 2010s, when many council‑run facilities were sold off to private firms as part of austerity‑driven cost‑cutting. In the piece, Mandelson notes that the sale is the latest in a string of “incongruous deals” that began with the privatisation of the NHS’s public‑facilities wing in the early 2000s and that continue to see former ministers, such as the former Chancellor George Osborne, quietly lining their pockets with government‑owned assets.

The article links to a Guardian feature that chronicled Osborne’s “re‑entry” into the property market, where the former chancellor purchased a high‑value apartment in Notting Hill after the sale. While the Standard piece does not formally accuse Osborne of wrongdoing, it hints that the developer behind the toilet sale had close ties to a lobbying group that had previously worked with Osborne, raising questions about the fairness of the transaction.

The column also references an earlier Standard article from 2019 that detailed the broader “public‑toilet crisis” in London – an issue that gained national attention when the cost of public restroom maintenance rose by 12 % in a single year. That piece linked to an official report from the Greater London Authority, which argued that the “public toilet gap” was widening as councils cut budgets and private developers sought to monetize spaces that were once free. By citing that report, Mandelson’s commentary underscores the argument that the Notting Hill sale is symptomatic of a larger policy problem.

Mandelson’s writing is not merely descriptive; it carries a moral indictment. He likens the sale to a “colonisation of comfort” – suggesting that the “freedom to use a toilet is being traded for a line of receipts.” The article also draws on the historical context of the Notting Hill area, noting that the free toilets were originally installed during the 1970s as part of an effort to promote public hygiene in a densely populated, mixed‑income neighbourhood. Today, the same infrastructure is being repurposed for profit, a move that “reverses a public good that has served the community for decades.”

The column ends on an urgent note, calling on residents, local politicians, and national media to hold the council accountable. “If Notting Hill’s public toilets are now the next “green‑washed” asset to be sold,” Mandelson writes, “then the entire concept of a public space is under siege.” He urges the public to contact their councillors, to question the procurement process, and to press for a re‑investment of the sale proceeds back into community facilities rather than a private profit‑maximising venture.

In summation, the article is a sharp, well‑argued, and entertaining critique of a specific instance of the larger trend of privatising public services. By linking the sale to George Osborne’s alleged dealings, to the historic public‑toilet crisis, and to the broader policy of austerity, the piece underscores a key concern: that the commodification of essential public amenities erodes the social contract. While the Standard’s column uses humour and rhetorical flourishes, its core message remains a sobering reminder that public services should not become another line item on a developer’s balance sheet.